The Merrimack Minute with Katie Ganser

Katie Ganser, a sophomore on the Merrimack Women's Basketball team, originally chose to come to Merrimack College solely based on athletics and playing for the Warriors.

But over the past two years she has really grown to love the atmosphere of the school as well as "the dynamic environment it provides to all students looking to make an impact".

And Katie has made an impact here on Merrimack's campus.

The Merrimack women's basketball team finished this past season with a record of 10-17. Katie's goal for her team is to make it to the NCAA tournament at least once before her class graduates. She believes that the relationships she has made and the things she has learned from working hard, working with a team, and pushing one's self to the limit are more than worth it, and she wouldn't want anything less.

"The best thing about being a student-athlete is having a family away from home that is there for you no matter what," she explains.

Having a close-knit team has helped create the experience she has had in these past two years. Although the majority of Katie's time is spent playing basketball, she makes an effort to work hard on her academics as well as enjoy her free time with friends. She admits it is a challenge saying, "The most difficult thing is managing your time so you can succeed both on the floor and academically."

However, with a personal goal of being an academic All-American, she makes sure to put the effort into her schoolwork as well. As a biology major, the work load is heavy, but she has succeeded at balancing basketball, work, and her social life; and it is evident by earning Dean's List honors each semester.

Although Katie still has two more years left at Merrimack, she has thought about what path she will take after graduation. In hopes of eventually becoming involved in the field of healthcare, she aspires to spend a year abroad working with health care in another country.

So how does she stay focused and succeed at a collegiate level? She attributes her success to being able to balance everything well and enjoy it at the same time.

"My secret to success is doing what I love and loving what I do, basketball and science are my two loves so having the opportunity to pursue both at the collegiate level is amazing and I am very lucky."